Ecological Restoration Process Research Articles

Soil macrofauna in areas with different successional vegetation stages after Eucalyptus grandis harvest in Brazil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the composition of soil macrofauna over different periods after the harvest of Eucalyptus grandis to understand the ecological restoration process. Data collection was carried out in each climatic season by the “Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility” Program. In general, 25,789 individuals were collected from the soil macrofauna and distributed in 26 taxonomic groups, with the Formicidae family being the most abundant. Of the individuals found, 7,418 were collected during autumn, 7,320 in summer, 5,553 in winter, and 5,498 in spring. The soil macrofauna was influenced by seasonality, with a higher density of individuals in autumn and summer. Regarding functional groups, social groups were dominant in all areas and seasons, comprising 74.50% of the total number of individuals. The detritivores group comprised 17.98% of the total individuals. Herbivores, snails, and slugs accounted for 3.98% of the total individuals. The functional groups detritivores, herbivores, and predators were more abundant in the litter, while the social groups were predominant in the soil depths of 0 to 30 cm. As the forest progressed, the richness of the macrofauna groups increased, demonstrating the influence of successional dynamics on the composition of the soil macrofauna.

Knowledge Management Practices and Ecological Restoration of the Tropical Dry Forest in Colombia

Ecological restoration is considered a nature-based solution to reduce ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and combat climate change. In this sense, the objective of this study was to identify the knowledge management practices that are present in an ecological restoration process in the tropical dry forest. The empirical study was developed using a mixed approach over an area of 11,079 ha in Huila, Colombia. At first, the qualitative study was supported by a documentary review and participant observation between 2018 and 2020. On the other hand, the quantitative study was carried out through the application of the Delphi method with the participation of 64 experts. Twenty-two knowledge management practices were identified with orientation towards human factors, organization, information technologies, strategy, and intellectual protection. These findings show that all the knowledge management practices identified have an impact on the six components of the ecological restoration process (planning, diagnosis, implementation, monitoring, participation, and consolidation). Likewise, these practices contribute to the generation, transformation, and mobilization of local and scientific knowledge in the components of the ecological restoration process of the tropical dry forest.

Estuarine Fish Feeding Changes as Indicator to Mangrove Restoration Success in Seasonal Karstic Wetlands

The loss of mangrove areas due to anthropogenic activities has triggered efforts to recover or restore these ecosystems, their functions, and associated diversity. Such functions include nursery areas and energy flow through trophic relationships for a large variety of inhabitant species (e.g., fish). The food webs and trophic dynamics of estuarine fish provide important information on the food resources in mangrove ecosystems and their response to restoration processes. Nonetheless, few studies focus on using fish feeding characteristics as an approximation to assess the conservation or recovery status of these aquatic ecosystems. Thus, the aim of the present study was to compare the trophic dynamics of an ichthyic community in a mangrove ecosystem related to karstic wetlands in the Mexican–Caribbean using freshwater, estuarine, and marine fish species as bioindicators of the restoration process in mangroves. Stomach contents were analyzed for eight species of fish inhabiting specific mangrove zones (1—conserved zone, and 2—restored zone; a zone exposed to ecological restoration processes due to impacts of anthropic activities) related to karstic wetlands in the Mexican–Caribbean. Four feeding characteristics were considered: trophic guild, trophic level, feeding strategy, and prey abundance. Results showed differences and changes in the use of food sources at the trophic level mainly for Floridichthys polyommus, changing from a secondary consumer in the conserved zones to a primary consumer in the restored zones. This suggests that the feeding characteristics of the inhabiting fish are related to the mangrove’s conservation/restoration status and the trophic dynamics in the community. The results of this study are relevant as a tool for mangrove restoration plans regarding the analysis of fish and their food prey, in order to perform an easy and rapid assessment to determine the conservation/restoration status of these aquatic ecosystems from a functional perspective.

Effects of different growth form submerged macrophyte assemblages on biomass accumulation and water purification

种植水生植物，尤其是沉水植物，是目前广泛应用于受损水体的最主要的生态修复方法之一. 研究不同生长型沉水植物组合对水体理化因子的影响及营养物质的去除效率可为受损水生生态系统修复提供重要的科学依据. 本研究以我国水体修复中常用的3种不同生长型沉水植物苦草(Vallisneria natans)、黑藻(Hydrilla verticillata)和穗状狐尾藻(Myriophyllum spicatum)为研究对象，采用1种生长型种植和2种生长型及3种生长型混种模式，研究不同生长型沉水植物组合及其不同生长阶段对实验系统水质指标及氮、磷等营养物质去除率的影响. 结果表明，所有植物组合处理均显著提高了系统中总氮、总磷和氨氮去除率; 在实验前中期总氮、总磷和氨氮去除率最高. 从本实验受试物种组合来看，1种和2种生长型组合比3种生长型组合具有更高的生物量累积量和总氮去除率. Pearson相关性分析显示，实验系统中的pH、DO浓度与植物总生物量呈显著正相关，总氮、总磷、氨氮浓度均与植物总生物量呈显著负相关. 建议在受损浅水水生态系统修复过程中，根据生态修复不同阶段考虑不同生活型、生长型和功能群的水生植物组合; 在生态修复过程中需加强管理，如水生植物收割等，才能达到最好的修复效果.;Aquatic plants are important components of freshwater ecosystems and constitute a dominant actor in many shallow lakes. Planting aquatic plant, especially for submerged macrophytes, is one of the most important ecological restoration methods widely used in damaged shallow freshwater bodies. However, previously studies have mainly focused on the effects of macrophyte richness on biomass and water quality. Little is known about the effect of different assemblages with various growth form submerged macrophyte on biomass accumulation and water purification. In this study, three different growth form submerged plants, Vallisneria natans, Hydrilla verticillata and Myriophyllum spicatum, which are commonly used in water ecological restoration in China, were selected to test the effect of different growth form submerged macrophyte assemblages on water quality and nutrients removal rate. Our results showed that all different growth form assemblages have obvious purification effects on total nitrogen, total phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen, and higher purification effects were observed in the early and middle stage of the experiment. From different combinations, one and two growth form combinations have higher biomass accumulation and higher total nitrogen removal efficiency than three growth form combinations. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the pH, and DO in the experimental system were significantly positively correlated with the total biomass, and the concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen were significantly negatively correlated with the total biomass. Our results suggest that in order to get the best restoration results, we need to take various factors into consideration during the process of ecological restoration, including different life form and growth form aquatic plant assemblages, harvesting aquatic macrophytes, etc.

半干旱草地植物枯落物碳、氮和磷元素释放对放牧和封育管理的响应

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 半干旱草地植物枯落物碳、氮和磷元素释放对放牧和封育管理的响应 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202104160988 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 宁夏自然科学基金项目（2021AAC03047） Response of C, N and P release dynamics of plant litter to grazing and enclosure management in semiarid grassland ecosystem Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:在半干旱草地，关于放牧和封育管理对草地植物枯落物分解及其与土壤动物互作关系的研究一直是该区域生态系统物质循环与生态恢复过程研究的重要科学问题。以放牧和封育样地中赖草（Leymus secalinus）、牛枝子（Lespedeza potaninii）及其混合枯落物为研究对象。于2017年9月、2018年5月和9月、2019年5月和9月，采用2种不同孔径（30目和250目）网袋量化中小型土壤动物的作用，调查了宁夏半干旱草地枯落物碳、氮和磷元素分解与土壤动物群落分布及其对放牧和封育样地的响应规律。结果显示：（1）封育样地中，枯落物碳元素最终残留率均表现为3种枯落物处理间无显著差异；但250目网孔中枯落物氮、磷元素最终残留率和30目网孔中氮元素最终残留率均表现为牛枝子显著高于赖草和混合物，而后两者间无显著差异；仅30目网孔中磷元素最终残留率表现为牛枝子和混合物显著高于赖草，而前两者间无显著差异。放牧样地中，250目网孔的碳、磷元素最终残留率和30目网孔中的氮、磷元素最终残留率均表现为牛枝子显著高于混合物，而赖草居中；氮元素最终残留率表现为牛枝子显著高于赖草和混合物，后两者间无显著差异。（2）土壤动物对枯落物碳、氮和磷元素最终残留率的影响较小；但不同网孔下混合枯落物氮元素最终残留率均表现为放牧显著低于封育样地，而赖草和牛枝子枯落物磷元素残留率均表现为放牧显著高于封育样地，且30目网孔中赖草枯落物氮元素残留率表现为放牧显著高于封育样地。（3） Mantel检验和PCA分析进一步表明，土壤动物多样性分布和土壤理化性质显著影响枯落物碳、氮和磷养分元素释放。研究表明，半干旱草地枯落物碳、氮和磷元素释放受土壤性质和物种化学特性影响，放牧与封育管理通过影响网孔中土壤动物分布来调控植物枯落物碳、氮和磷元素释放。放牧干扰显著弱化土壤-土壤动物-枯落物之间的联系，但同时显著加速了混合枯落物中氮、磷元素的释放。 Abstract:In semi-arid grassland, plant litter decomposition and its interaction with litter arthropods under grazing and enclosure management play implications on material cycling and ecological restoration process. The litter from Leymus secalinus, Lespedeza potaninii, and their mixture were selected as samples, and they were set in situ in Ningxia semi-arid grasslands under enclosure and grazing management. This study probed into the distribution of litter arthropod and its relation to the release of C, N and P contents by using two sizes (30-mesh and 250-mesh) litterbag to quantify the role of small and medium litter arthropod collected in September of 2017, May and September of 2018, as well as May and September of 2019. The results showed that:(1) In the enclosed grassland, there was no significant difference in the final remaining rate of litter C in between L. potaninii, L. secalinus, and mixture; however, there was significantly greater final remaining rate of litter N and P in the 250-mesh, and that of litter N in the 30-mesh in L. potaninii than in L. secalinus and mixture; there was significantly greater final remaining rate of litter P in L. potanini and mixture than in L. secalinus. In the grazed grassland, there was significantly greater final remaining rate of litter C and P in the 250-mesh, and that of litter N and P in the 30-mesh in L. potaninii than in mixture, with intermediate values in L. secalinus. Regarding the final remaining rate of N, there were significantly higher values in L. potaninii than in L. secalinus and mixture, whereas there was no significant difference between L. secalinus and mixture. (2) There was little effect of litter arthropods on the final remaining rate of C, N and P in the three plant treatments. However, there was significantly lower final remaining rate of N in mixture from both 30- and 250 mesh in grazed grassland than in enclosed grassland. There was significantly higher remaining rate of P in L. secalinus in grazed grassland than in enclosed grassland. (3) The Mantel test and principal components analysis indicated a considerable effect of litter arthropods and soil physicochemical properties on the decomposition of litter C, N and P content. It was suggested that litter C, N and P contents were affected by soil properties and plant chemical properties in semi-arid grassland. The effect of grazing management on litter arthropod distribution induced the differences in C, N and P nutrient release between various species of plant litter. The grazing disturbance could weaken the linkage between litter decomposition, arthropod and soil, while in feedback grazing could promote the litter decomposition of N and P content in mixture. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

沙丘微地形生境蚁丘分布特征及其对恢复过程的响应

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 沙丘微地形生境蚁丘分布特征及其对恢复过程的响应 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202201210204 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 宁夏自然科学基金重点项目（2020AAC02014，2021AAC03047）；宁夏重点研发计划项目（2021BEG03007）；国家自然科学基金项目（41867005） Distribution of ant mounds in sand dune microtopographic habitats and their responses to the restoration process Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:为了阐明沙丘微地形生境蚁丘特征及分布规律对沙丘固定过程的响应规律，以科尔沁沙地为研究区，选择不同固沙阶段沙丘的4个方位（西北、东南、西南、东北）布设调查样地，测定了不同样地的蚁丘密度、直径和高度，分析了不同样地蚁丘特征及空间分布规律。结果表明：（1）流动沙丘背风向（即东南方位）蚁丘密度显著高于其他方位，但从流动沙丘到半流动沙丘，背风向（即东南方位）蚁丘密度显著低于其他方位；从半固定沙丘开始，半固定和固定沙丘微地形对蚁丘密度分布的影响较小。（2）在流动沙丘、半流动沙丘、半固定沙丘，不同微地形生境中蚁丘直径和高度均呈现出相似的分布规律，即东南方位均小于其他方位。在固定沙丘，蚁丘高度表现为东南方位亦较低，但蚁丘直径表现为西南和东北方位显著小于西北方位。（3）在流动沙丘，西北、西南和东南方位上蚁丘空间分布均表现为均匀分布型，而在半流动、半固定和固定沙丘，4个方位上蚁丘空间分布均表现为聚集分布型。（4）相关性分析表明，不同固沙阶段不同微生境下蚁丘密度、高度、直径与植物密度、多样性间的相关性不同。随着固沙阶段演替，不同微生境下蚁丘特征与植物密度、多样性的相关性增强。研究表明，在科尔沁沙地，随着流动沙丘固定和生境逐渐恢复，沙丘不同空间方位上蚁丘密度分布差异缩小，而蚁丘直径和高度仍存在沙丘微地形间显著差异性，并且蚁丘空间方位上均呈现聚集分布状态。 Abstract:The objective of this study was to clarify the distribution of ant mounds in sand dune microtopographic habitats and their responses to the restoration process. In Horqin sandy land, four dune aspects (i.e., northwest, southeast, southwest, and northeast) of dune were selected as sampling sites in mobile sand dune, semi-mobile sand dune, semi-fixed sand dune, and fixed sand dune. The density, diameter and height of ant mounds were measured, and the distribution of ant mounds sand dune microtopographic habitats were analyzed. The results showed that:(1) from mobile dune to semi-mobile dune, there was an opposite distribution of ant mound density between the four habitats of dune aspects. The density of ant mounds in mobile dunes was significantly higher on leeward aspect (i.e., southeast direction) than that on other aspects, whereas the density of ant mounds in semi-mobile dunes was significantly lower on leeward aspect (i.e., southeast direction) than that on other aspects. However, there was a little effect of dune aspects on ant mound density in both semi-fixed and fixed sandy dunes. (2) There was a similar distribution of ant mound diameter and height between dune aspects in mobile dune, semi-mobile dune, and semi-fixed dune; the ant mound diameter and height was significantly lower on the southeast aspect than on the other aspects. In fixed sand dune, the height of ant mounds was significantly lower on the southeast aspect, but the diameter of ant mounds was significantly lower on the southwest and northeast aspects than on the other aspects. (3) The spatial distribution of ant mounds indicated a pattern of uniform in the northwest, southwest and southeast dune aspects in mobile sand dune. However, it indicated a pattern of clumped distribution in the four dune aspects in semi-mobile, semi-fixed, and fixed sand dunes. (4) The correlation analysis showed that the correlation coefficients between the density, height and diameter of ant mounds and the plant density and diversity in different dune aspects differed between mobile, semi-mobile, semi-fixed, and fixed sand dunes. The correlation coefficients in different dune aspects increased along with the ecological restoration process of mobile sand dunes. In conclusion, with the fixation of mobile dunes, the differences of ant mound density between dune aspects decreased from mobile and semi-mobile sand dunes toward semi-fixed and fixed sand dunes in Horqin sandy land. The distribution of ant mount diameter and height was still significantly different among the four micro-topography of sand dunes. The spatial distribution of ant mounds indicated a similar pattern of clumped distribution during the restoration process. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Theoretical basis and Chinese practice for environmental protection of lakes with better water quality

目前，我国湖泊富营养化及蓝藻水华问题十分突出，国家高度重视湖泊的生态环境保护.自“九五”以来，国家就投入太湖、巢湖、滇池“老三湖”等重污染湖泊的治理，但成本巨大，且历经近30年才初见成效.按照湖泊污染程度，湖泊治理与保护可分为“污染治理型”“防治结合型”“生态保育型”3大类.“老三湖”的治理是典型的“先污染、后治理”的模式，水质较好湖泊主要属于生态保育型湖泊，因此，“老三湖”治理模式不适用于水质较好湖泊的保护.本文系统总结了我国水质较好湖泊优先保护理念的形成和水质较好湖泊专项实施的历程.根据水质较好湖泊的特点，及其生态系统退化与修复的一般过程，提出了水质较好湖泊保护的基本思路.从热力学角度，阐明了氮磷营养盐输入湖泊生态系统中是熵增过程，也是湖泊生态系统退化的根本原因，湖泊氮磷污染负荷源头控制是关键.湖泊流域生态安全格局是确保湖泊生态系统健康的基础，从景观生态学角度，阐明了优化湖泊流域水土资源利用、优化发展模式是减轻湖泊环境压力的重要途径.在浅水湖泊生态系统，以沉水植物占优势的“清水态”和以浮游植物占优势的“浊水态”转换过程不是沿着同一条途径，存在上临界阈值和下临界阈值，水生态修复过程表现出一种迟滞的现象.从湖泊水生态系统稳态转换理论角度，阐明了湖泊生态修复工程应在湖泊生态系统发生退化转变之前实施，才能获得较高的环境效益.通过国家财政专项对81个水质较好湖泊的支持，既能促进湖泊流域经济社会发展，又能确保湖泊水环境质量变好，湖泊水生态系统逐步改善.建议加强不同类型湖泊保护模式的总结，深入对水质较好湖泊生态系统演替理论和保护技术研究，支撑国家系统开展水质较好湖泊保护.;At present, the problems of lake eutrophication and cyanobacterial blooms in China are still very prominent and the state attaches great importance to the ecological environment protection of lakes. Since the Ninth Five-Year Plan, the government has started to control the old three lakes of Lake Taihu, Lake Chaohu and Lake Dianchi, but it has spent huge treatment costs. After nearly 30 years of governance, the trend of further deterioration of water quality in the old three lakes was initially curbed. According to the degree of lake pollution, lake control and protection can be divided into three types:pollution control type, combined prevention and control type and ecological conservation type. The governance of the old three lakes was a typical pollution first, treatment later model, and the lakes with better water quality mainly belong to ecological conservation type, so the treatment model for old three lakes is not suitable for the protection of lakes with better water quality. This paper systematically summarizes the formation of the concept of priority protection of lakes with better water quality in China and the implementation history of special lakes with better water quality. According to the characteristics of the lake with better water quality and the general process of ecosystem degradation and restoration, the basic idea for the protection of the lakes with better water quality was put forward. From a thermodynamic perspective, the entropy increase process of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient input into the lake ecosystem was analyzed, revealing the root cause of the degradation of the lake ecosystem and the importance of source control of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution load into lakes. The ecological security pattern of lake basin is the basis for ensuring the health of lake basin ecosystem. From the perspective of landscape ecology, this paper clarifies that optimizing the use of soil and water resources in lake basin and optimizing the development pattern are important ways to reduce the environmental pressure on the lake. The transition process of the clear water state dominated by submerged plants and the turbid water state dominated by phytoplankton in shallow lake ecosystems is not along the same pathway. There are upper and lower critical thresholds, and the aquatic ecological restoration process shows a hysteresis phenomenon. From the theory of steady-state transformation of lake water ecosystem, we clarified that the lake ecological restoration project should be implemented before the degradation transformation of lake ecosystem to obtain higher protection benefits. The support of 81 lakes with better water quality through the special national finance can not only promote the economic and social development of the lake basin, but also ensure the improvement of the quality of the lake water environment and improvement of lake water ecosystem. We recommended to strengthen the summary of different types of lake protection models, conduct in-depth research on the theory of ecosystem succession and protection technology of lakes with better water quality, and support the state to carry out the protection of lakes with better water quality systematically.

Identification of land reclamation stages based on succession characteristics of rehabilitated vegetation in the Pingshuo opencast coal mine

Land reclamation is a dynamic ecological restoration process, and rehabilitated vegetation requires a certain amount of time to develop, stabilize and mature. The development characteristics of rehabilitated vegetation at different land reclamation stages are significantly different, and these differences can be used to identify the key stages of land reclamation. In this study, normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) time series data from the western dump of the Pingshuo opencast coal area on the Loess Plateau from 1989 to 2018 were collected and analyzed by fluctuation analysis and filter processing with the Best Index Slope Extraction and Wavelet Transform (BISE-WT) filter to reveal the succession characteristics of rehabilitated vegetation. Then, the key periods of land reclamation under different vegetation types (arbor, shrub, arbor-shrub, and grass) in the dump were determined by S-logistic function fitting and derivative analyses. The NDVI time series changes in land parcels reclaimed in different years exhibited different interannual change characteristics. Based on the number of years required for the rehabilitated vegetation to reach a stable state, the average development period of land reclamation in eligible units in the mining dumps was thirteen years, including ten years in the rapid development period and three years in the steady development period. The differences in land reclamation periods among the different vegetation types were significant (α = 0.05), and the number of years required for each period mainly followed the order of arbor > arbor-shrub > shrub > grass. Analyzing the vegetation succession characteristics and identifying the key periods of land reclamation for different vegetation types is conducive to dynamically evaluating land reclamation effects and is expected to provide a basis for strengthening the implementation of manual intervention measures in reclaimed mining areas.

Determining the Optimal Biomass of Macrophytes during the Ecological Restoration Process of Eutrophic Shallow Lakes

Many studies have shown that macrophytes play a significant role in controlling eutrophication; however, only a few of these are based on macrophyte biomass. Based on the growth characteristic of macrophytes, we propose an approach for the assessment of the optimal biomass of macrophytes in the decay and growth periods in Lake Datong (a shallow lake), using a lake ecological model. The results showed that the pollution load of the lake should be reduced by 50% while conforming to the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (EQSSW) Class Ⅲ. In contrast, with an increase in the pollution load of 5%, the results indicate that the lake may deteriorate to a turbid state over the next few years. The macrophyte biomass should be harvested during the decay period, when 80% biomass is beneficial to the water quality of the eutrophic shallow lake. Based on macrophyte simulation from 2020–2024, the wet biomass of macrophytes should be controlled at 5.5 kg/m2. The current macrophyte biomass in Lake Datong is four-fold higher than the simulated optimal biomass. This study provides a reference for the adequate ecological restoration of the lake and its subsequent maintenance, as well as scientific support for improving the comprehensive evaluation standard of healthy lakes and the theoretical basis of lake ecological restoration.

Fungal community characteristics and driving factors during the decaying process of Salix psammophila sand barriers in the desert.

Wood-inhabiting fungi are crucial to wood decay and decomposition in S. psammophila sand barriers, which in turn consumingly influence nutrient dynamics in desert soils. In the case of an extremely arid desert, as opposed to forests, little of known about the fungal community composition of decaying wood and the effects of decomposing wood on soil physical and chemical properties. Combined with high-throughput gene sequencing technology, we investigated the relationships between microenvironment factors with fungal community composition and diversity during the decomposition of Salix psammophila sand barriers. The results showed that the destruction of lignocellulose components during the decay process of S. psammophila sand barrier alters the physical and chemical properties of the surrounding soil. Compared with one-year sand barrier, lignin and cellulose of seven-year S. psammophila sand barrier decreased by 40.48% and 38.33%, respectively. Soil available potassium and available nitrogen increased by 39.80% and 99.46%, respectively. We confirmed that soil available nitrogen, soil pH and soil moisture content significantly affected the fungal community distribution of S. psammophila sand barriers. Sordariomycetes are mainly affected by the positive correlation of soil pH, while Eurotiomycetes are most affected by the positive correlation of soil moisture content and soil porosity. Although our results highlighted the importance of bidirectional interactions between fungi in decayed sand barriers and soil properties, their contribution to the desert ecosystem still needs further confirmation from future studies. However, overall our findings improved the current understanding of the sand barrier-soil interactions on the process of ecological restoration.

Searching for an ecological baseline: Long-term ecology of a post-extraction restored bog in Northern Estonia

The exploitation of peatlands in Estonia, which began in the 17th century, has degraded them to a great extent. Consequently, cutover and drained peatlands have become the sources of CO2. Global warming has led to a need for policies focusing on the protection and restoration of drained and degraded peatlands. Hence, to compare the effect/progress of restoration with the past pristine ecosystem baseline before the peatland was destroyed by cutting, we examined a peat core from North Estonia using chronology based on 14C by analyzing several proxies in high resolution including testate amoebae, plant macrofossils, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, and diatoms. The results revealed a striking ecological contrast between the pristine (ca. 2 kyrs) and restored state (currently) of the peatland. The pristine state was characterized by a domination of Sphagnum fuscum/rubellum and Archerella flavum, suggesting that extraction area of Hara peatland was a wet and stable ombrotrophic bog. As a result of peat exploitation, deposits comprising the last ca. 2 kyrs were cut. In turn an important feature of the restored section of the peat core was the domination of a green algae (Chlorophyta) and Eriophorum vaginatum as well as testate amoebae species Arcella discoides, which is considered an indicator of hydrological instability. The main difference between the predisturbed and restored parts of the peat core section was that a minor cover of peat-forming Sphagnum and mixotrophic testate amoebae was present in the top inundated part. We state that a healthy raised bog—the target of restoration—should consist abundant mixotrophic testate amoebae such as Archerella flavum and Hyalosphenia papilio which are good indicators of a well-functioning Sphagnum bog ecosystem even if the Sphagnum species differ from the reconstructed ecological baseline conditions. Our study highlights the extensive damage caused to the peat-forming ombrotrophic peatland by extraction and how difficult, challenging, and time-consuming is the process of ecological restoration.

Historical changes of sedimentary P-binding forms and their ecological driving mechanism in a typical “grass-algae” eutrophic lake

With the transformation of lake ecosystem from "clear water" to "turbid water", the residual phosphorus (P) accumulated in sediments may slow down the process of aquatic ecological restoration, and the related mechanisms are complex and need to be better understood. In this study, high-resolution systematic investigation and analysis of P-binding forms in the sediments showed that Lake Dianchi, the largest plateau lake in Southwest China, was enriched with NaOH-rP, HCl-P and Res-P, but depleted in NH4Cl-P, BD-P and NaOH-nrP. The BD-P, NaOH-nrP and NaOH-rP were the main contributors to potential P release from sediments, while the release potential of NH4Cl-P was relatively weak (<1%). When the external P loading gradually decreased, the internal P loading of Lake Dianchi was estimated to be 522 mg P/(m2•a) in the past 30 years. The succession of "grass-algae" type in Lake Dianchi coincided with reduced absorption and transformation of potential mobile P and decreased accumulation of stable P, especially the Res-P. Meanwhile, the temporal variation of potential mobile P was a good predictor of ecological degradation and reduced ecosystem sustainability in Lake Dianchi.

Long-term ecological effects of two artificial forests on soil properties and quality in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Afforestation is an essential process of ecological restoration, landscape reconstruction, and environmental improvement. While large-scale plantations have restored the fragile ecosystems of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, they have also changed local soil characteristics. A 30-year-old typical planted forest on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was selected to determine the long-term ecological effects of artificial forests on the soil in this study. Physicochemical soil characteristics at varying soil depths and relative soil parameters, such as element stoichiometry and growing stock, were quantified on the different plantations. This soil quality information was used to construct an MDS-SQI Model. Our findings revealed that soil TN, TK, TP, and AP content was higher than pre-afforestation baseline values, while SOC and pH values were lower. Amounts of soil nutrients SOC, TN, TP, TK, AP, and AK, were positively correlated in the artificial forests. The ratio of soil C/N was higher and ratios C/P and N/P were lower in poplar than the Chinese pine plantation. The soil quality index values calculated from the MDS model were 0.31 and 0.40 for poplar and Chinese pine plantations in the top 30 cm and 0.55 and 0.46 in the 100 cm depth, respectively, which indicated that the two plantations had low-quality soil. LiDAR satellite imagery was used to estimate a growing stock of 7723 m3 and 435 m3 in the poplar and Chinese pine plantations. The results suggest that the artificial forest improves soil properties overall but that different stand forests have discrete effects on the soil environment.

Evaluating the post-fire natural regeneration of Mediterranean-type scrublands in Central Spain

We performed a five-year assessment of the natural vegetation restoration capacity following the 2012 fires in Valdemaqueda (Madrid, Spain) via the characterization of the post-fire and residual vegetation and the analysis of soil physico-chemical characteristics. Six pilot-plots were established in the affected site. Forest species, representative of the potential natural vegetation of the area (Juniperus oxycedrus subsp. lagunae and Quercus rotundifolia woodlands) and broom shrubs (Cytisus scoparius, Retama sphaerocarpa) were planted to assess the relationship among the stages of ecological succession, competition, and soil restoration processes following devastating fire events.&#x0D; The fire-driven alteration of the soil’s physico-chemical properties was evident, given the increased pH and reduced C/N ratio in the first years of the study. However, we observed an increased soil enrichment in the last years of study, accompanied by the propagation of herbaceous species, su[1]pporting our seed bank findings, showing a clear difference in the sprouting rate between burnt and control plots (80% vs. 20%, respectively). The establishment of robust, pyrophyte shrub species (Cistus ladanifer, C. laurifolius, Rosmarinus officinalis) rather than natural succession evidenced the clear conversion of the vegetation in burnt areas. These findings in the pilot-plots allowed evidencing the high vulnerability of the natural vegetation to the settling of pyrophytes, given their low survival rate under the strong competitive pressure of these pyrophytic species. The proliferation of these pyrophytes could translate into changes in soil macro- and microbiota, nutrient dynamics, species diversity, and interaction, added to the alteration of fire regimes in the area. Overall, these results highlight the risk for soil impoverishment and possible erosion of the fire-affected sites. Moreover, they underline the importance of the establishment and regeneration of Genisteae species to outcompete pioneer pyrophytic species, favoring the restoration of the area’s potential natural vegetation

Ecological Restoration in “Liquid Societies”

This article tells the story of possibly the first ecological restoration project in the postsocialist world (1994), which is an example of a broader set of ecological restorations carried out in Eastern Europe. By exploring the two intertwined processes of the ecological restoration of an island in the Danube Delta and the advancement of neoliberal economic ideas through land reform, decollectivization, and land privatization, we contribute to the understanding of ecological restoration in societies in turmoil. We engage a social sciences perspective in order to show the entanglement between ecological restoration processes and institutions, political arrangements, and various forms of land tenure. This theoretical perspective also shows a model all too often present in ecological restoration projects: a proclivity for adopting a neoliberal approach toward administrating natural resources at the expense of local ecological knowledge and the local administration of natural resources.

Ecological Restoration in “Liquid Societies”

This article tells the story of possibly the first ecological restoration project in the postsocialist world (1994), which is an example of a broader set of ecological restorations carried out in Eastern Europe. By exploring the two intertwined processes of the ecological restoration of an island in the Danube Delta and the advancement of neoliberal economic ideas through land reform, decollectivization, and land privatization, we contribute to the understanding of ecological restoration in societies in turmoil. We engage a social sciences perspective in order to show the entanglement between ecological restoration processes and institutions, political arrangements, and various forms of land tenure. This theoretical perspective also shows a model all too often present in ecological restoration projects: a proclivity for adopting a neoliberal approach toward administrating natural resources at the expense of local ecological knowledge and the local administration of natural resources.

Pinus massoniana population dynamics: Driving species diversity during the pioneer stage of ecological restoration

As a dominant and active component across ecological restoration processes, the population dynamics of pioneer tree species significantly affect species composition and community assemblage. To assess the effect of pioneer populations on species diversity, this study investigated species diversity and population characteristics in five secondary forests dominated by Pinus massoniana in southeastern China. For 40 years, all anthropogenic activities (e.g., logging, farming, etc.) have been banned on the hillsides of these five secondary forests to promote afforestation, for which these forests have thereafter been left to grow naturally. We found that: (1) the basal area (BA) of P. massoniana drove changes in species diversity across forest plots, explaining 31.6% of total variation. The species richness of the herb layer was negatively correlated to BA, while the diversity and evenness of the tree and shrub layers were both positively correlated to the BA. (2) As the size of individual P. massoniana specimens increased, the trend in species richness of the shrub layer and the diversity indexes of both the tree and shrub layer was first to increase and then to decrease once again, while the species richness of the tree layer stabilized after reaching a certain threshold. (3) Species diversity of the forest plots did not improve over time along with an increase in the density of the pioneer species. When the P. massoniana population density was low, the diversity indexes of both the tree and shrub layer increased with an increase in population density. Conversely, when the P. massoniana population density reached 2800 plants/ha, species diversity began to decline. However, when the P. massoniana population density increased to 3733 plants/ha, species diversity of the plant community exhibited an upward trend. Our results indicated that forest species diversity was extremely sensitive to P. massoniana population dynamics during the pioneer stage of ecological succession. Moreover, the pioneer population was the driving factor for both development and change in species diversity, and it did so through habitat adjustment of its ecological relationships.

露天煤矿排土场边坡植被组成特征及其群落稳定性评价

研究植被恢复过程中植物群落组成、结构及稳定性的变化，可进一步了解到植物群落的演替过程及规律。采用空间代时间的方法对内蒙古锡林郭勒盟北电胜利露天煤矿4个排土场边坡人工恢复植被进行群落调查，在此基础上采用多样性指数与优化后的M.Godron稳定性指数对植物物种组成、物种多样性及其群落稳定性进行分析，探究不同恢复年限排土场边坡植被在恢复过程中群落特征及稳定性变化特征。结果表明：（1）排土场边坡植物物种组成共有16科44属56种，植物群落组成较简单，其中禾本科种类最多，生长型以草本植物为主。（2）随着恢复年限的增加，植物生活型由一、二年生转变为多年生，坡面优势种由人工种植植物转变为本土植物。（3）整体看，随着恢复年限增加，物种多样性呈下降趋势，群落稳定性整体呈上升趋势。（4）由于不同坡向土壤微环境差异，北坡恢复效果及稳定性好于南坡。本研究在一定程度上可为露天煤矿排土场边坡人工修复过程中植物物种及合理配置模式的选择提供科学依据。;Open-pit coal mine could destroy the original natural ecosystem, forming a considerable number of abandoned mining lands, causing a series of ecological problems as well. Revegetation is the core of ecological reconstruction, which has impacts on community characteristics and biological diversity of the vegetation, and does well to the soil physical and chemical properties at the same time. At present, studies on revegetation in mining areas, mainly focusing on the improvement of revegetation technology, the effect of vegetation and soil restoration, and vegetation allocation model, etc. There are less researches on the changes of plant community structure and stability in time series. As an important characteristic of ecosystem structure and function, community stability has an impact on the laws and characteristics of the stability of vegetation. M.Godron index is a classical method for community stability evaluation, but it can only reflect the stability of the plant community without considering the changes of community structure. Therefore, the comprehensive analysis of the stability and composition characteristics of the plant community can further understand the ecological characteristics and restoration process of the plant community in the mining area, which is significant to the ecological restoration of the mining area. In this study, the communities of artificial revegetation of 4 waste dump slopes in Beidian Shengli open-pit coal mine in Xilinguole League of the Inner Mongolia, were phytocoenologically investigated using the method of space-substitute-time. The community characteristics and stability in the process of revegetation of waste dump slope with different restoration years were explored. The species composition, species diversity, and community stability of vegetation were analyzed using diversity index and the optimized M.Godron index. The results showed that:(1) a total of 56 naturally occurring plant species, belonging to 44 genera and 16 families, were observed in the slope of waste dump which mainly composed by Gramineae plants and the major growth type was herbaceous plants. (2) With the increase of restoration years, the life form of plants changed from biennial plants to perennial plants, and the dominant species on slope changed from artificial plants to native plants. (3) On the whole, the species diversity decreased and the community stability increased with the increase of restoration years. (4) Due to the difference of soil micro-environment in different slope directions, the restoration effect and stability of north slope was better than the south. To some extent, these findings can provide a scientific basis for the selection of plant species and rational allocation mode in the process of artificial remediation of open-pit coal mine dump.

Effects of Heavy Metal Contents on Phyllosphere and Rhizosphere Fungal Communities for Bothriochloa ischaemum in Copper Tailings Area

There are complex interrelationships between plant microorganisms (phyllosphere and rhizosphere) and host plants, which can promote plant growth and enhance the tolerance of host plants to stress. In this study, we selected the dominant species Bothriochloa ischaemum as the research subject in a copper tailings dam. Using high-throughput sequencing, we investigated the structures of the fungal communities and diversities in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of B. ischaemum. This study also explored the effects of heavy metal content on fungal community characteristics. The results showed that Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominant phyla in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of B. ischaemum. The diversities and richness of the rhizosphere fungal community were higher than that of the phyllosphere fungal community. The diversities of rhizosphere and phyllosphere fungal communities was affected by different heavy metals. Phyllosphere fungal diversity was mainly affected by the content of Zn and Cu in leaves, and the content of Pb in roots was the key factor affecting the diversity of the rhizophere fungal community. Furthermore, Pleosporaceae had a very significant positive correlation with Cd in the phyllosphere, and Nectriaceae had a significant positive correlation with Zn in the rhizosphere. These fungal communities could be used as indicators of ecological recovery in areas with heavy metal pollution. The results could provide an ecological basis for the exploration and utilization of phyllosphere or rhizosphere fungi resources during ecological restoration processes. This study also provides guidance for selecting the plant-microbial symbionts during ecological restoration in areas with heavy metal pollution.

Stable isotope analyses of nitrogen source and preference for ammonium versus nitrate of riparian plants during the plant growing season in Taihu Lake Basin

Plants are vital components of the nitrogen (N) cycling in the riparian zones. Understanding of N uptake strategies of riparian plants, including N sources and preference in N forms (ammonium (NH4+) vs. nitrate (NO3−)), is essential to advance our knowledge on the role that plants play in regulating nutrient biogeochemical cyclings in the riparian areas. In this study, stable N isotopes (δ15N) of three riparian plants, including Acorus calamus, Canna indica and Phragmites australis, and the δ15N of NH4+ and NO3− in different sources were measured during the plant growing season (June–September) in the Taihu Lake Basin. The dissolved inorganic N (DIN) from river water, groundwater, rainwater and soil were considered as the major N sources for plants in the riparian ecosystem. Our results indicated that soil was the largest source for plant N nutrition, with significantly different (P < 0.05) contributions from soil observed among plant species (80.5 ± 4.1, 73.9 ± 2.8 and 58.7 ± 6.1% for A. calamus, C. indica, and P. australis, respectively). Meanwhile, complex water networks, shallow water tables, and high DIN content in rainwater lead to nonignorable N contributions from river water, groundwater and rainwater to plants. Groundwater contributed more percentage of N to P. australis (12.8 ± 3.2%) than A. calamus (6.1 ± 1.9%) and C. indica (8.0 ± 1.5%), which is likely attributed to the deeper roots of P. australis. All plants showed similar N preference for NO3− during the growing season. External environmental conditions and plant characteristics and adaption to more abundant soil NO3− content are possible explanations. Our research could provide important information for vegetation selections during the process of riparian ecological restoration. Reasonable choice of vegetation is essential to plant growth and water quality management, especially in agricultural watersheds where N concentrations are relatively high in agricultural runoff due to the wide uses of N fertilizers.